Jeff Brohm outduels Will Stein for elite 4-star WR recruit Ja'Hyde Brown

The Kentucky Wildcats enter a new era in 2026 as Mark Stoops has been fired with Oregon OC Will Stein coming in to lead the program in a new direction. Kentucky's change in leadership creates a new rivalry as Will Stein and Jeff Brohm will now battle over in state recruits on the recruiting trail, and for In-State supremacy on the field.

This offseason as Will Stein looks to build his first recruiting class at Kentucky while Jeff Brohm looks to continuing toward the playoff, we're going to see some major battles over the talent in Kentucky. One of the first of many battles came as wide receiver, and Louisville Native Ja'Hyde Brown had to pick between the hometown teams.

Jeff Brohm wins the first battle landing WR Ja'Hyde Brown

On Monday, Jeff Brohm and his staff picked up a major commitment as Louisville, Kentucky native Ja'Hyde Brown committed to the Cardinals over Kentucky among several other major programs including Indiana and Ole Miss.

According to Rivals Recruiting Rankings, Ja'Hyde Brown is the 292nd ranked player in the country, the 41st ranked wide receiver in the class, and the 5th ranked player out of Kentucky. The start of the recruiting cycle has been stellar for the Cardinals as Louisville currently holds commitments from 3 of the state's top 10 recruits while appearing to be in the driver's seat for several others.

At 5-foot-10, Ja'Hyde Brown is on the smaller side for wide receivers, but should continue to grow and develop as he gets older.

This season, Ja'Hyde Brown had an absurd season, catching 98 passes for 1,566 yards and 24 touchdowns, averaging 16 yards per reception. Jeff Brohm has developed some major talents at the wide receiver position with Chris Bell, Rondale Moore, and David Bell which has to give the Cardinals a major edge when competing against for elite wide receiver recruits year over year.